Jean's Voice

Something just occurred to me

2005-04-23T08:45:00.000-04:00

Is "radical conservative" an oxymoron?

Even so, how else would you describe them?

Thank you, Gen. Powell.

2005-04-23T08:13:00.000-04:00

I heard yesterday that Colin Powell, a Repubulican, does not support the nomination of John Bolton as ambassador to the UN.

I have a deep respect for Mr. Powell; As Secretary of State, he was a relatively moderate voice and had diplomacy down pat. Granted, his schtick about weapons of mass destruction was just plain wrong, but hey, lots of people believed the lies.

As time wore on, I think he was relegated to "token black" in the presidential cabinet; I find it interesting that Condoleezza Rice, another African American replaced him.

Since his resignation, he seems to have found his voice. I'm sure that there are lots of rightwingnuts out there who will say that he's just bitter about not getting his way, but I'm not convinced.

Matt Sandwich has quoted an article in the Washington Post, which reminded me that I'd heard about Powell's opposition of Bolton.

It seems that Two GOP senators called Powell for information on Bolton. The WaPo article says this:

"General Powell has returned calls from senators who wanted to discuss specific questions that have been raised," said Margaret Cifrino, a Powell spokeswoman. "He has not reached out to senators," and considers the discussions private.

General Powell did not sign a letter from seven other former U.S. secretaries of state or defense supporting Bolton.

Class act, that man.

More personal info.

2005-04-20T20:33:00.000-04:00

To my select readers--all 5 of you!--The time has come to let you know that I have finally obtained gainful (if underpaid) employment) in Yosemite National Park.

I'm leaving Rhode Island in a little over two weeks, and I've been busy packing my stuff for storage while I'm gone.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up with all the news in order to provide my perspective on current events, but once I' there, I hope to use my 'l337 social engineering skills to obtain wifi access to post.

I grew up in California, and hold some very dear memories of Yosemite. It was one of the few places that enchanted me as a child, where I have good memories of my mother, and it's been calling me back for a few months.

The job is pretty up in the air right now. I don't even know what I will be doing once I get there. It could be as a maid at the Ahwahnee lodge, or the Yosemite lodge. I could be cleaning stables, or slinging hash in a High Sierra camp.

My blog will not become a worker's rant. If I post, I promise I will not delve into the horrors of working for the park's concessionaires. I will try not to become a travelogue, either. There's plenty of information on the beauty of Yosemite out there already.

Wish me luck, gentle readers. This is an adventure.

Jean Dudley.

Mark this day on your calendar!

2005-04-19T21:50:00.000-04:00

In my last entry, I wrote that Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, joined the Hitler Youth before it became compulsory. I was wrong.

There's a very good article that refutes the London Times article here.

Mea culpa.

Former Youth for Hitler elected Pope.

2005-04-19T15:51:00.000-04:00

Well, that was quick. They went with the white guy, but get this--he used to be a Youth for Hitler. Apparently he joined when he was 14, the year before it became compulsory. Supposedly his membership was short and not enthusiastic. His father was anti-Nazi Now, I'm all for believing people can change, and forgiveness and all, but this just sticks in my craw. He's also 78 years old.

Further, he's the head of the leader of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith, the Inquisition's latest incarnation. He's also a stern conservative, speaking out against Asian priests who held that Non-Christian faiths were part of God's plan for humanity.

Looks like we're in for a bumpy ride, folks.

"Drinking the Kool-aid"

2005-04-18T08:24:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing the phrase "drinking the kool-aid" a lot recently in the left hemisphere of the blogosphere. It's used to refer to those in the Republican Party who seem to be going along with the Neo-Con leadership and against the time-honored values of the Right.

For those who are too young to remember, the phrase has its origins in a terrible tragedy of the late 70's.

Jim Jones was a charismatic man, a self-styled prophet and messiah figure. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha, even God. He began in San Francisco, but moved his "People's Temple" to an enclave in Guyana, where he was the autocrat who had full control over the lives of the 900+ members. Every aspect of their lives was controlled; He even drew a particularly tragic page from history (Massada), and practiced "white nights" where the entire population would drill for mass suicide by drinking small cups of red liquid at his bidding.

Everything came to a head when a US Congressman went to Jonestown in Guyana to investigate allegations of human rights violations. Jones Would not let him in the compound until after dark. The Congressman Ryan managed to take out 16 members who wanted to leave, and among them was a mole who opened fire at the airstrip as they were about to leave.

At that time, Jim Jones put into motion the actual mass suicide that he had rehearsed for all those years. The final "white night" was November 18, 1978. Over 900 members lined up and drank the cyanide-laced grape kool-aid drink, mothers giving it to their babies first, and then drinking it themselves.

Jones was shot by his own guards.

Listen to NPR's "Remembering Jonestown", an audio file on the story of Jonestown. Requires Real Audio.

Passport blues; It's amazing what you learn when you read the papers.

2005-04-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

It's amazing what you learn when you read newspapers. F'rex, take George Bush. (Insert Rodney Dangerfield joke here). According to this Reuters article, he learned that his own administration is going to require passports to travel back from Mexico and Canada by reading a newspaper.

Um, how can he not know about this?

WASHINGTON, April 14 - President Bush said Thursday that he had been surprised to learn in the newspaper of his administration's decision last week to require Americans to have passports to enter the country from Mexico or Canada by 2008. He said he had asked the State and Homeland Security Departments to look into other means of tightening border security.

At least, he's showing some common sense in opposing it.

Something's weird about the whole passport issue. Next year they will begin issuing passports with Radio Frequency ID chips, (RFID for short). Your name, date of birth, and a digitized copy of your image will be transmited by these little beacons, but it seems to me that unless they're encrypted 6 ways to Sunday, anybody with a hand-held receiver will be able to find the Stupid, Ugly American in a crowd. There seems to be some debate over how far away these chips can send info, but it ranges from about 4" (10 centimeters) to about a yard (1 meter).

What's really stupid is that they refuse to use contact-read devices--like the magnetic strips on your ATM, Debit and Credit Cards. Same information, but a hell of a lot more secure. And they aren't beacons advertising the exact location of your passport.

For a good source of information, I recommend this article in Freedom to Tinker.

Via BoingBoing.

BTW, get your passport now before they begin putting RFID chips in them. They cost about $100 for a first time issue, not including the cost of getting your picture taken. They are good for 10 years. When they are renewed, they give you your old one back after updating the expiration. At least now, they do. This means that a passport issued without an RFID chip will not be replaced with a new one with the chip.

Wal-Mart is ripe for unionization--let's hope the union actually does something for the workers.

2005-04-09T07:51:00.000-04:00

I'm still a bit leery of unions. Not because I think they're socialist in nature, but because as with lots of large groups of formerly-oppressed people, they all too often become oppressive themselves. However, some corporations are ripe for an organized backlash from it's workers.

Take for example Wal-mart. They've been showing up an aweful lot on my blog roll these days. What prompted me to write about them today was this article from those good folks over at Think Progress.

Unions often are ham-fisted in their approach, and, I think, ripe for sleeping with the enemy. Far too often, stewards are buddy-buddy with management, and as a result, the people they are supposed to represent are left in the cold.

I will be working for a union this summer for the first time in my life. Watch this space for more information.

Sometimes synchronicity happens

2005-04-08T09:18:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why, but I was wondering just who the first women in Congress were this morning. I can't remember the train of thought that led to that question. It flashed in my brain, and I made a mental note to do some research later--one of the millions of research topics filed in some inaccessable corner of my mind. I rarely ever find that list again when I am bored and have access to teh internets.

Then synchronicity happened. I stumbled across a name referenced somewhere; Jeanette Rankin.

Daily Kos quotes a WSJ article about Brian Sweitzer:

Red, blue or purple--color-coding Montana's patterns of voting is just too simplistic, and [Montana Democratic Governor] Brian Schweitzer fits the non-conformist mold to a T. A prosperous farmer/rancher from the area of Whitefish in the tony Flathead Valley country, Mr. Schweitzer cultivates a well-spoken, gun-owning, dog-loving, native-ritual-doing, shot-of-whiskey-drinking true-west style somewhere between that of Jeanette Rankin (a famously antiwar liberal Republican elected to the U.S. Congress before women's suffrage was passed) and Mike Mansfield (the conservative Democrat senator and former ambassador to Japan whose voting record, taken as a whole, was more liberal than that of George McGovern)

Whoa, hold up a second! She was elected to the House of Representatives before women were even allowed to vote? But wait! There's more!

Miss Rankin (I'm adhering to period forms of salutations here; She would not have used "Ms." in her time frame, and may not have approved of it.) was a Republican, albeit she advocated for programs that would have been called Socialist today.

Take, for example, the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act of 1921. In an era when women were giving birth in their homes with the assistance of female neighbors in some cases, or if they were lucky with the assistance of a skilled midwife, infant mortality rates were high. Jeanette Rankin advocated for public funding for clinics and education on prenatal health and childbirth.

She's a fascinating look at the history of women in politics in America. I recommend looking her up.

Peter Jennings is a class act.

2005-04-06T15:21:00.000-04:00

ABC's anchor Peter Jennings revealed to his audience that he has lung cancer. He's a remarkable man, and I wish him full remission and recovery. (With thanks for to those good folks at Crooks and Liars for the video clip and heads up)

I knew it would happen.

2005-04-06T14:32:00.000-04:00

HalTurnerRacist,
originally uploaded by Jean Dudley.

So, yes, it would send the radical-religio-rapture-racist-right into conniptions if an African were elected pope.

I may have to go to church to pray for his election. Or maybe not. He might be assassinated by the likes of Hal Turner within a week of assuming the papal crozier.

Didn't take ol' Hal very long to get all nasty in the pants over this, did it?

Why isn't Hal Turner in jail?

2005-04-06T14:14:00.000-04:00

Hal Turner of halturnershow.com seems to be crossing the line from free speech to inciting violence. Or not?

Take a look at this screen cap of his archive, and note the two articles on the right.

I have to wonder if he's had any visits from the FBI over this. My wild-ass-guess is that he has, and they've decided not to go forward with prosecution. However, the man did say that he'd volunteer to assassinate judges. Perhaps all he's lacking is a political action group?

It's illegal to kill judges. It's illegal to threaten them. It's illegal to incite violence against them. I'd call this a clear case of inciting to violence, wouldn't you?

This is a link to the full-sized screen capture.

Just what kind of ignorati are in the Senate?

2005-04-06T13:34:00.000-04:00

Senator Cornyn (R-TX) had something pretty puzzling to say on the floor the other day (Apr 4, 2005).

I don’t know if there is a cause-and-effect connection but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. Certainly nothing new, but we seem to have run through a spate of courthouse violence recently that’s been on the news and I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters on some occasions where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in - engage in violence.

(Video link here, WMV file)

Is he being disingenuous, deliberately making connections and dancing around the justification of "courthouse violence"? Or is he just plain ignorant of recent events? I can think of two instances right off--the man who overpowered his police guard, and the murder of a judge's husband and mother. Both of those were not related in any way to "judicial activism".

He contradicts himself when he says "Certainly nothing new, but we seem to have run through a spate of courthouse violence recently..."

I suppose one could imply that what *is* new is that the public perception has shifted from just run-of-the-mill courthouse violence and politically motivated courthouse violence.

Now he's issued a rebuttal to those who make the claim that he's justifying the violence, and turning it around and blaming them for taking his quote out of context.

Out of context or not, the above statement contains factual inaccuracies. Nobody seems to be killing judges or their families out of political frustration in the US. I'm not convinced he was actively calling for such violence. But I am leaning towards a belief in manipulation by misinformation. This administration, and especially the so-called "Republican" side of the isle has an increasing track record of doing so. How many people believe that Saddam Hussein was in some way responsible for the tragedy of 9/11?

No, he's not ignorant. He's a twister of words and current events to his political ends. And he's aiming to take over the judiciary.

R.I.P,. Prince Rainier.

2005-04-06T07:39:00.000-04:00

Prince Rainier has died at the age of 81. He was Europe's longest reigning monarch. As the Prince of Monacco, he was deeply loved by his people. In turn, he deeply loved his American starlet wife, Princess Grace.

Rest in peace, Prince Rainier.

So...

2005-04-03T09:05:00.000-04:00

How do you think Americans would react to an African (read "black") pope?

Oh, I hope they do it, I REALLY do.

Be fun to watch all the racists go apeshit.

One thing I will say about the pope...

2005-04-03T08:39:00.000-04:00

I think that for all his faults, Pope John Paul II had one redeeming attribute: He lived by Jesus' words "Turn the other cheek".

He showed an immensity of spirit when he forgave and befriended the man who tried to kill him.

It may not completely balance out his destructive stand on abortion, contraception and alternative insemination, but I think it went a very long way towards that end.

Rest in peace, Karol.

Pedophilia and Homosexuality

2005-04-03T08:22:00.000-04:00

I had a conversation some time ago about the sex abuse by priests in the Catholic church. The person I was speaking with said that it was because Catholic priests weren't allowed to marry, and so gays were more likely to become priests and molest boys.

I disagreed with him. It's not about homosexuality, I said, it's about power. "Then why do they choose boys?" Because boys are less likely to talk about what happened to them, due to fear that they will be labeled "gay".

Pedophilia isn't the same as homosexuality. Most pedophiles self-identify as straight, but will choose their victims carefully to ensure that they are not caught. The gender of the child isn't as important as the age.

When women sexually abuse children, they also chose boys because in our culture a boy who is "seduced" (read "coerced into sexual victimization") by an older woman is "lucky", it's part of his initiation into manhood. But if a boy is "molested" by a man, he is queer.

As much as I dislike the prohibition on marriage for the priesthood, it's not responsible for the exploitation of children in the church.

About time, I'd say

2005-04-02T09:21:00.000-05:00

It seems that the national security hawks have finally caught on regarding America's security risk due to an increasing demand for foreign oil. A group of former national security advisors has sent a letter to President Bush stating that America's dependancy on foreign oil is now a concern to them.

We *must* develop new means of generating energy, or face the reality of being held slaves to antagonistic governments. America was once the land of innovation--we have the brightest minds in the world, and we now need to put them to work devoping an alternative to fossil fuels. We can, we must, but will we?

No more blood for oil.

Rest in Peace.

2005-03-31T10:29:00.000-05:00

Terri Shiavo has died. Rest in Peace, Terri. I wish peace for her parents and husband. Now, to brace for congressional legislation on end of life matters in America.

I'm reminded of a something I read long ago; "If life is a game, it's not very fun. You can't win, and you're not allowed to quit."

Who is this guy, anyway?

2005-03-27T07:39:00.000-05:00

The things you miss when you don't have a TV. Well, not always, it seems--Hal Turner doesn't have a venue on television. Apparently he had a radio show for a while, but financial troubles closed that down. Now he spews his racist, homophobic and sexist bile on teh internets.

This guy's a piece of work, I tell you. He wraps himself in the First Amendment while he uses some of the most outrageous claims.

I'm really not sure how serious he is. His website seems to be filled with all sorts of crazy talk. Here's a snippet from his introductory page:

Hal Turner developed a reputation as being the most controversial radio talk show host in the entire world. He's a typical, everyday, average, married, white guy. A father, a Catholic. But what made him controversial - and still does - is this: he says publicly what most people only dare to think privately.

OK. I can respect that.

Further along it says:

al unabashedly caters to "straight, white people." Some call that "racist" yet they say nothing about "Black Entertainment Television", "Black STARS Movie Channel", the "Miss Black America Contest." They also say nothing about outlets catering to hispanics such as "Telemundo", "Univision" and others. Hal decided that if blacks and hispanics could have media outlets catering to them, White people should be able to have a media outlet too! The Hal Turner Show is such an outlet.

*eyebrow up*

I thought most television and radio was aimed at "straight, white people" already. I was under the impression that Minorities were marginalized.

And then there's this, from his "news archives" page: Hold on to your hat, folks, it's a doozy.

ISRAELI JEW ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO STEAL $350 MILLION VIA COMPUTER HACKING
Thieving jew caught when Japanese Banking Group detected intrusions Once again, the so-called "God's Chosen" prove they are nothing of the sort.

WTF? Please note that I've copied and pasted directly from his web site. He actually uses the lower case "j" to refer to Jews. All the time.

He's been advocating pretty hard for Terri Shiavo. Normally, I'd call this a case of ironic satire--but I'm not so sure. Is Hal suffering from a really bad case of confliction? Oh, I hope so. I really do.

MAYBE I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THIS TERRI SCHIAVO THING THE WRONG WAY. . . . .

I've been proceeding from the assumption that she was merely a totally innocent, completely helpless woman being savagely deprived of life through slow starvation and dehydrationher by an adulterous husband with the blessing of renegade courts acting in direct defiance of U.S Congress Subpoenas, . But on second thought. . . . . .

She was born a jew, but converted to Catholicism. Being born a jew makes one a racial jew no matter what religion they convert to. And seeing as racial jews are the lowest form of scum in the history of this planet, (They've been thrown out of more countries than any other race in history) maybe starving Terri to death isn't too bad a thing at all.

In fact, since there are so many other jews in Florida, doubtless many who are seriously ill from all their inbreeding and race mixing, maybe this Schiavo thing is a terrific way to set case law as an excuse to get rid of a whole slew of other jews!

I still think it would have been far more humane to simply gas her to death. But I guess after all the hoopla about "gas chambers" in Germany back in WW2, the powers that be are a bit squeamish about using that method again.

Oh well.

*blink*

So, this is how "most Americans" really think? I'm dumbfounded. Maybe I'm just naive, but I really can't believe that this is the view of most Americans. If it is, maybe it *is* time to move to Canada.

"Oh, Canada..."
Excuse me while I go Google for the rest of the words.

No, wait. "...seriously ill from all their inbreeding and race mixing"? Er. One or the other, pal. I mean, you get a racial gene pool, and eventually there is going to be a limited selection--and the only way to keep it viable is to add to it from other sources, such as other races.

I'm just stunned. I think I'm going to have to go lay down.

So it doesn't happen to you--hopefully.

2005-03-23T08:32:00.000-05:00

One of the questions I've heard asked on the Terri Schiavo case is "Would this be happening if she had left a 'living will'?"

No one wants to answer that with a simple yes or no. That worries me. The fact that Congress feels the need to step in to an area over which they have no jurisdiction is troubling enough. I begin to suspect that if it suited their political agenda, it would happen regardless of whether or not she had documented her wishes.

Be that as it may, I would still recommend looking in to setting up a living will. Here's a link to a set of worksheets that will help you do just that.

http://www.abanet.org/aging/toolkit/home.html

Tackiest URL ever.

2005-03-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

http://www.notdeadyet.org/

Overheard in IRC

2005-03-20T19:19:00.000-05:00

[19:14] <ArtfulOzian> I see the Republicans are fighting hard for the right of people without functional brains to live.
[19:15] <FluffyFloridian> It's their base.
(Nicks changed for their protection)

A bit of personal history

2005-03-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

When my mother was dying, I took emergency leave to be with her. Granted, we weren't on the best of terms in years previous. But we had made a sort of peace, and had reached a place where we could exchange jokes, and I had become comfortable asking her for advice. And this is the important part: She had told me that the thought of being revived was something she had been having nightmares about. "Don't ever do that to me", and she made me promise.

When I arrived, she was still able to speak. When I walked into her hospital room, she greeted me by name as if she'd seen me the day before. "I like your hair that way."
"Mother, I've worn my hair like this for years", I said.
"I know, I still like it that way though."
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Pretty good, but I want to get home to Richard."
I'm not sure which Richard she was referring to--she had a succession of cats--all black, and numbered sequentially--by that name. The last Richard had died about 20 years before.
"Mother, do you know what day it is?"
She rattled off an incorrect day and month, in 1957. The year actually was 1983.
Do you know where you are?
"Dusseldorf Air Force Base, Germany." She was in a county hospital in California.

Mother had been having urinary problems. She was hospitalized when an infection developed around a catheter that was doing no good anyway. She'd simply stopped urinating.

Her blood ammonia levels were through the roof. Her blood pressure had dropped so low that her liver and kidneys had shut down. The ammonia in her body was accumulating. And she was as high as a kite on it. In fact, that is what had triggered her live-in care giver to call me. He said that he thought she'd started drinking again. Mother was in a wheelchair due to losing her right leg to artery disease a few years before. She was also a member of AA, and so was her care-giver.

During our rather surreal conversation, her doctor walked in, checked some things and said that if I had any questions...? I excused myself to Mother, and walked out into the hall with her. She explained that they didn't know why her blood pressure was so low. They suspected internal bleeding. She asked me how my mother's mental health was. I explained her long history of "manic depression", as it was called in those days. "Do you think she tried to kill herself with Tylenol?" I told her that I really had no idea, but that it may have been a possibility.

I asked her what Mother's chances were. "Not very good. I doubt her liver and kidneys will ever work again, at this point."

I looked at the doctor. "Can you explain what rights I have regarding her care? She is obviously not capable of making sound decisions. Do I need to get a lawyer?"

No, I didn't need to get a lawyer. As her daughter, I had more say than did her brother. I heaved a sigh of relief. I would not have put it past him to get all righteous and insist on "heroic measures", in spite of the fact that they despised one another. She would have wound up like Terri Schiavo if he'd had his way.

I told the doctor that I was exercising my right as next of kin: "No code". Make her comfortable. No problem there. The ammonia was taking care of any pain, she said.

I went back in and Mother said she was tired, and wanted to sleep. I told her I'd be back later. I gave her a kiss, and she said she loved me, and that she was glad I came.

At my friend's house, the phone call came during dinner. She had slipped into a coma. Her blood pressure had dropped, her heart rate was almost nil.

I arrived at the hospital. She was almost unrecognisable. She had tubes in her nose, her mouth, and electrodes all over her. She had an IV of blood going, in an effort to get her blood pressure back up. She was un-responsive. I spoke to Mother, told her that as far as I was concerned, we had made our peace, and not to worry about me. I didn't want to hold her back if she wanted to go.

Another doctor came in. She introduced herself as the doctor on duty. I walked into the hall with her, and asked her if Mother's doctor had left my instructions in the pass-down. The doctor said yes, but she wanted to be clear; What were my wishes?

"No Code." As soon as I said that, an alarm went off in Mother's room. Nurses were there immediately. The doctor followed them in. I stayed out.

The doctor emerged either a short time, or an eternity later. "She's gone, isn't she?"

"Yes. Would you like to go in?"

In a daze, I went in again. The respirator machine had stopped its rhythmic sounds, and was simply hissing low. Yes, Mother's body seemed diminished. I can't and won't describe how. She was simply gone. I said a small prayer, to her, to the universe, to any deity listening in thanks and blessing for having had the chance to make right with her, and for peace for her.

I can't imagine Congress stepping in to keep my mother alive. Even my uncle stayed away. What happened was strictly between me and my mother. Congress had no right to step in. California had no right to step in. And they didn't, because she was a crazy woman, an obnoxious old bag who smoked 100 hand-rolled cigarettes a day, told filthy jokes and wasn't above competing in a biker's wet tee-shirt contest from her wheel chair. She was abusive, opinionated, and socially unacceptable. She was also a Republican, and adored Ronald Reagan, even though his gutting of the mental health care system in California was to her profound detriment.

The law is that the next of kin has the right to make decisions regarding medical care. Terri Shiavo's husband is her legal next of kin. This isn't a battle over the right to live, it's a battle over the private and personal choices next of kin have to make every day. This is no place for Congress. This is no place for the President. This is no place for the governor.

But Bush seems to think it important enough to cut short one of his hundreds of vacations to come home to sign a bill to keep Terri Schiavo alive--against the wishes of her husband, and against her own wishes. She has been held prisoner in her body for political purposes, and that just floors me. This isn't our business. This is a private matter between Terri's husband and Terri's doctors.

Tom "Crooked as a dog's hind leg" Delay says that the "sanctity of life takes precedent over the sanctity of marriage". Only as long as it can be milked for political power, it seems.

Shiavo and Gonzales

2005-03-20T09:26:00.000-05:00

Terri Shiavo's case has been politicized to such an extreme that George Bush "cut short" his vacation in Texas in order to come back to Washington to sign a bill to keep her on a feeding tube. I can't help but remember that Bush didn't cut short his vacation in Texas for the South-East Asia Tsunami.

This flies in the face of the right of her husband to make a decision based on her wished on her right to die.

Compare this with another case: Castle Rock V. Gonzales.

Jessica Gonzales obtained a restraining order against her estranged husband from the court. That order specified that he be arrested if he violated the order. He kidnapped their three daughters from her house. Jessica called the police several times in the hours that followed, but they refused to do anything. He eventually showed up at the police station, and opened fired at the building. He was killed in return fire. The police found the bodies of the three girls in his truck. He'd killed them prior to going to the police station.

This case is now before the Supreme Court.

I really want to know:

2005-03-19T21:57:00.000-05:00

Why are we borrowing huge amounts of money from a country that forces women to abort after their first child? Why are we in debt to our eyeballs to a country that uses slave labor to produce goods, and then floods *our* market with rock-bottom prices that we can't compete with?

Help me out, here, folks.

"If you're not confused, you just don't understand."

Anti-Choice women who get abortions

2005-03-18T10:12:00.000-05:00

"The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion" : When the Anti-Choice Choose. (The article on the other side of this link was written by Joyce Arthur )

Fascinating, if sometimes disturbing read on the varied attitudes of "pro-life" women who get abortions, as told by their service providers. They range from shame, privilege, denial, antagonism (before, during and after the procedure), and vindictiveness to gratitude, respect and ideological shift to support of choice.

Some are blatant hypocrites, others are obviously mentally ill, some are racist, some feel a sense of privilege that borders on pathological.

As for the service providers, some have refused abortions because of obvious confliction, others refuse to provide assistance to women who call them murderers. Women who shift ideologies tell their own stories often relate their surprise at the non-judgemental attitudes of their service providers.

One story I found particularly disturbing follows:

A few behave in a very hostile manner, such as calling clinic staff "murderers." Years ago, a clinic counselor in British Columbia told me that one of her patients went into the procedure room apparently fine with her decision to have an abortion. During the abortion, at a stage when it was too late to stop the procedure, the woman started screaming "You murderers!" and other invectives at everyone in the room.

When reality meets ideology head-on, there you will find some very telling behavior. I'd recommend reading this regardless of your own stance on abortion.

Good news out of California today!

2005-03-14T19:05:00.000-05:00

Court Rules California Cannot Ban Gay Marriages

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In a victory for gay rights groups, a California Superior Court judge ruled on Monday that the state's voter-approved ban on homosexual marriage is unconstitutional.

Word of the day: Propaganda

2005-03-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

Propaganda: 1. The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause.

The Bush Administration has been using taxpayer funds to produce videos that are largely self-aggrandizing. These videos are then broadcast over public airwaves on corporate network stations as "news". They do not have any sort of disclaimer as to who the producers are.

According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), the Office of National Drug Control Policy(ONDCP) violated propaganda laws because it didn't identify itself as the author of the videos.

The videos are designed to look like regular news items, produced by independent news outlets.

In July of 2004, House Representatives Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and John W. Olver(D-MA) sent 7 of these tapes to the GAO for review.

The GAO reviewed them, and then verified them with the ONDCP. Here's the money-shot quote:

The VNR*s which included those prepackaged news stories and suggested anchor remarks were clearly labeled, both externally on the videocassettes and in the included slates, as ONDCP products. As ONDCP observes, "It would be virtually impossible for a reasonable broadcaster to mistake the VNRs for . . . independent news report[s]." ... However, none of the prepackaged news stories and suggested anchor remarks contained in ONDCP's VNRs disclosed the agency's role (as producer and distributor of those materials) to television viewing audiences.

(*VNR=Video News Release, and emphasis mine)

I find it interesting that the ONDCP tried to wriggle out of any responsibility by implying that only broadcasters need to be made aware that these VNRs are "fake news".

What about the viewers? Don't they have a right to know the source of "news" is not independent?

If you'd like to read the GAO's response to Waxman and Olver, you can find it here.

You can send a letter to the Department of Justice through http://www.stopfakenews.org/.

If you're really interested, Google "ONDCP". Lots of fun stuff comes up.

Update: Aviation Safety Video News Release

Word of the day: Propaganda

2005-03-14T08:19:00.001-05:00

Propaganda: 1. The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause.

The VNR*s which included those prepackaged news stories and suggested anchor remarks were clearly labeled, both externally on the videocassettes and in the included slates, as ONDCP products. As ONDCP observes, "It would be virtually impossible for a reasonable broadcaster to mistake the VNRs for . . . independent news report[s]." ... However, none of the prepackaged news stories and suggested anchor remarks contained in ONDCP's VNRs disclosed the agency's role (as producer and distributor of those materials) to television viewing audiences.

Word of the day: Shill

2005-03-12T14:36:00.000-05:00

Shill: One who poses as a satisfied customer or an enthusiastic gambler to dupe bystanders into participating in a swindle.

Findingavoice.com : Add another blog to the fire

2005-03-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

Ann Davidow has earned a place on my rss feed blogroll with her articulate and reasoned article "The Corporate Ownership Society" recently published on Buzzflash.

A quick trip to Google reveals that she writes for Mother Jones.

You can find her writings here: http://findingavoice.com, and her XML feed is here: RSS

Why are new regulations on the treatment of prisoners classified?

2005-03-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

In an unattributed editorial dated March 11, 2005, the New York times revealed something that disturbs me highly.

It was good to learn yesterday that the military commander in Iraq has issued definitive rules about how to treat captives in American prison camps. Unfortunately, that was about the only good news in the newest Pentagon report on prisoner abuse, actually a 21-page summary of a larger, classified study by the Navy inspector general of interrogation rules in Guantánamo Bay, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Just consider that it took more than a year after the military says it first learned of the nightmare at Abu Ghraib to issue the new rules. And don't ask what they are, because they're classified.

Why? Why are rules for the treatment of prisoners classified? I think I remember someone saying that they didn't want potential prisoners to know how they will be treated so that they will have the upper hand.

i find that counter to American standards of ethics. Personally, I think that a prisoner has the right to know what treatment is or isn't legal under the laws of the government of their captors.

Human rights are supposed to be the corner stone of our culture. Does that mean the human rights of only Americans? Why? What makes Americans more deserving of humane treatment than other people?

Can anybody out there answer these questions for me?

Just who is this Tom Delay guy, anyway...

2005-03-12T09:36:00.000-05:00

I've been hearing murmurs about Tom Delay for some time, and now it's time to find out about him. Wikipedia has lots of information on him.

Mr. Delay is the House Majority leader. He's the Republican Representative for the state of Texas, and has a long history in the House.

He's been in the media spotlight for a while. Seems Mr. Delay has serious issues with living up to ethical standards. Accepting expensive trips from lobbyists and then voting in their favor is one example. He also has misused government resources for political purposes.

Now for today's news(subscription required, I recommend Bugmenot.com:

An Indian tribe and a gambling services company made donations to a Washington public policy group that covered most of the cost of a $70,000 trip to Britain by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), his wife, two aides and two lobbyists in mid-2000, two months before DeLay helped kill legislation opposed by the tribe and the company.

A very good idea!

2005-03-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

Kevin Drum of "Politcal Animal" has a very good idea for legislation regulating personal data databases in America;

• Stricter regulation of personal information, along the lines of Corzine's legislation but tougher. This would apply to companies that limit their databases to information about their own transactions with their own customers.

• Individuals should be invested with property rights in any commercial collection of personal data about themselves that's assembled from multiple sources. In a modern society, any such collection really is "your" identity. You should have the right to control it.

As co-owners of the data, consumers would have the absolute right to be informed that a file on them exists; to review their files free of charge; to contest any information in their files; to be notified whenever their data is requested; to compensation if their data is sold to another broker; and to approve the release of their data.

Think about it, friends and neighbors. Corporations gather information about you, often confuse it with others making it wildly inaccurate, and then don't protect it from identity thieves. It's *your* identity, it's *your* information, why should *they* be making money off it, corrupting it, and then don't take precautions against it being stolen?

Go, read the article, and then send it to your congressional representatives. You can use the links I've provided in the bar to the right to contact them.

Live Journal isn't all teen angst and drama.

2005-03-10T07:51:00.000-05:00

How I found this isn't important. But this lady says it beautifully. On Supporting Our Troops.

I make this vow, this pledge, this promise:

2005-03-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

I will not EVER write any articles about the Michael Jackson trial. If you are sick of the "coverage", you can rest assured that I will maintain this blog utterly free of any reference to him from this point forward.

You deserve time away from the media circus.

BradBlog: Add Another Blog to the Fire

2005-03-09T06:31:00.000-05:00

The Brad Blog now has an RSS1.0 feed!

This is the sort of hatred we can expect from the far right.

2005-03-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

screen cap from halturnershow.com,
originally uploaded by Jean Dudley.

Hal Turner later explained this as "a zing", a joke.

This judge's husband and mother were brutally murdered in her home. Her mother was in her 80's, and used a walker to get around.

Orcinus has a partial transcript of Turner's appearance on Dateline.

Here's the part that stunned me:

Mr. TURNER: I have rendered an opinion that what she did on the bench makes her worthy of being killed, yeah.

MURPHY: Do you still believe that?

Mr. TURNER: Yeah. Yep, that's my opinion.

Mac-Savvy Granny!

2005-03-05T23:53:00.000-05:00

You go, girl!

Get out your box of tissues.

2005-03-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

Get out your box of tissues.
Get a big glass of water.
Turn off the television.
Turn off the stereo.
And then go here and read this.
With thanks to John at AMERICABlog, Markos at Daily Kos, and to dKos Diarist Amprather

General observations

2005-03-05T13:31:00.000-05:00

Since I didn't do any catblogging yesterday, I thought I'd do a bit of general observation instead. Not to worry, I'll prolly upload some pics of my housemate's cats next Friday.

Reading through my RSS feeds is always fun and enlightening. This morning I read about an application that will allow me to download images formated to fit my mobile phone screen from any RSS feed.

I am highly tempted to download it, if money weren't so damn tight right now. Here's the RSS feed I read:

Lockergnome's RSS Resource: Mobile Photo RSS reader

Here's a link to the software developer's site:

49PM.com: Mobile Photo RSS reader

Watching the world around me.
I work at a store in a small New England town, and right next to the store is a section of an historic canal dating from the Industrial revolution. Over the winter, I've been watching the water flow, and the ice form.

In the middle of this canal, two trees has taken root; grasses have sprung up at their bases during the time when the river runs low. As water is bound in ice up stream, the level lowers, and a small island emerges around those young trees. As the water rises, ice will form around the tussocks of grass, around the boles. Water lowers, and those tussocks and boles become the centers of ice islands.

I've been fascinated with the day-to-day changes of those ice-islands in the stream. The edges are grotesquely art nouveau, with regular blobs forming in fantastic shapes.

Would this be an example of fractals in real life? Within chaos of the stream, patterns emerge. Whoa, that's very Zen, isn't it?

Quotes from Justice Scalia

2005-03-04T08:27:00.000-05:00

This guy seems fixated on the notion that the Government derives it's authority from God. Also our institutions, laws, and the foundation of our laws.

I respectfully disagree with Justice Scalia.

"And when somebody goes by that monument, I don't think they're studying each one of the commandments. It's a symbol of the fact that the government comes -- derives its authority from God. And that is, it seems to me, an appropriate symbol to be on State grounds. "

" As I say, I don't think most people know what the text of the Ten Commandments are, but they do know that is stands for the fact that our laws are derived from God. "

"I think the message it sends is that law is -- and our institutions come from God."

"And it doesn't matter what the version is, does it? If it just stands for the fact that laws -- the foundation of our laws is God. "

Source: Thomas Van Orden Vs. Texas argument before the Supreme Court

If you spy for the US Government, you have no legal recourse if they dump you!

2005-03-02T18:46:00.000-05:00

In 1875, Enoch Totten brought suit to the Supreme Court on behalf of the estate of William A. Lloyd, a Civil War spy. President Abraham Lincoln had contracted with Lloyd to spy behind Confederate lines, and promised a monthly stipend of $200. Lloyd never received the funds promised to him.

The Supreme court at that time ruled that covert operatives could not bring suit against the US because it may disclose sensitive information injurious to the national security.

Today, the Supreme Court upheld that ruling by reversing the decision of the Appellate Court that ruled in favor of John and Jane Doe, again citing "national security" for denying them the benefits promised by the CIA.

Read the decision here.

So my advice is this: If you spy for the US Government, insist on a hefty chunk of money up-front. Don't believe promises of lifetime support. You have no legal recourse if they disavow any knowledge of you, and leave you stranded. Better yet, don't offer to spy at all.

Seems like this is shaping up to be Day of Administrative Irony at Jean's Voice

2005-03-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

I admit to being in line behind such good folks as Markos and John when it comes to commenting on the daily blues news. Be that as it may, I too have to comment on the irony of the situation. First a bit of information.

On Feb 28, 2005, Under Secretary for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky held an On-the-Record briefing to announce the release of the 2004 Human Rights Reports. Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy Human Rights and Labor Michael Kozak also gave remarks and answered questions.

The report entitled "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State in compliance with sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended, and section 504 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The law provides that the Secretary of State shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, by February 25 "a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights, within the meaning of subsection (A) in countries that receive assistance under this part, and (B) in all other foreign countries which are members of the United Nations and which are not otherwise the subject of a human rights report under this Act." We have also included reports on several countries that do not fall into the categories established by these statutes and that thus are not covered by the congressional requirement.

(From the Dept. of State website)

You can read the entire report online at the U.S. Department of State website. Just use the links on the left of the page to read individual sections.

The section that deals with Iraq specifically is here.

Now, some selections from the report.

Grid coordinates were obtained on at least 10 mass graves in Al-Hatra in Ninewah Province. On September 1, authorities began to dig a site near Al-Hatra. Two gravesites were excavated; one site contained the remains of women and children and the other contained remains of men. Approximately 275 bodies--thought to be Kurds who were killed by the former regime--were found in each site.

This was a grave-site of people murdered under Sadaam Hussein. What I found interesting is the segregation of women and children from men--how ironic that religious extremism will segregate even in death.

Women's leaders claimed that some extremist groups targeted women by kidnapping, killing, and terrorizing them in an effort to force them to refrain from working in public, to remain at home, wear veils, and adhere to a very conservative interpretation of Islam. According to an Amnesty International (AI) report, the lack of security remained a serious threat, and women and girls feared abduction, rape, and murder.

Yes, this happened under the provisional government. How ironic that we go to liberate a people oppressed by Sadaam, and yet women lose their rights as a result.

Basrah police also reported that the same Internal Affairs Unit officers were involved in the killings of a mother and daughter accused of engaging in prostitution. The Basrah Chief of Intelligence was removed from his position as a result of the accusations; however, he retained command of the Internal Affairs Unit.

Yes, this is the provisional government at work.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), during this reporting period, torture and ill treatment of detainees by police was commonplace. In interviews with 90 prisoners conducted from August to October, 72 claimed that they had been tortured or mistreated. The reported abuses included some instances of beatings with cables and hosepipes, electric shocks to their earlobes and genitals, food and water deprivation, and overcrowding in standing room only cells.

Is this beginning to sound familiar? Hint: This not a report on the US Military abuses at Abu Ghraib. It's the Iraqi Interim Government. I have to wonder--who taught whom?

There were instances of illegal treatment of detainees. For example, on November 1, Baghdad police arrested two Coalition Force citizen interpreters on charges involving the illegal use of small arms. After their arrest, police bound the detainees' arms behind them, pulling them upward with a rope and cutting off their circulation. This treatment was followed by beatings over a 48-hour period with a steel cable, in an effort to make the detainees confess. Both interpreters required medical treatment after their release to Coalition Forces. No further information on the incident was available at year's end. In another case, the Commission on Public Integrity (CPI) gathered enough evidence to prosecute police officers in Baghdad who were systematically raping and torturing female detainees. Two of the officers received prison sentences; four others were demoted and reassigned.

Ah, the rape rooms are still in use, then? Isn't this what we were supposed to be stopping?

I can't go on reading this report. Call me a whimp, I don't care. I'm getting ill.

The ultimate irony of this report is that it is so similar to reports coming out of Guantanamo about the torture of detainees there. On the other hand, I am glad that the report is this open about the state of the IIG; After all, the US Government is responsible for all of this, ultimately. Is this damaging to the Bush Administration? Yes, I think it is. And for all the irony of it, the hypocrisy it reveals, this report at least scratches the surface of an ugly, immoral and odious situation that the U.S. Government set up.

Impeach Bush. Or maybe not--Cheney would take office, and I think things would be even worse under him, both here and in Iraq.

A nod to the Theocrats, or just plain ironic?

2005-03-01T09:42:00.000-05:00

With thanks to John at America Blog for the heads-up:

Bush Administration To Require U.S. AIDS Groups Take Pledge Opposing Commercial Sex Work To Gain Funding

Under the new policy, even groups whose HIV/AIDS work in other countries has "nothing to do" with commercial sex workers will have to make a written pledge opposing commercial sex work or risk losing federal funding, according to the (Wall Street)Journal.

In light of the recent Gannon/Guckert scandal, I find this utterly astonishing. Just how bald-faced does the current administration have to be before we start demanding an impeachment?

(Brad, are you listening?)

Follow up

2005-03-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

On Feb 19, I posted an entry on similarities between a propaganda campaign in Germany and Social Security privatization.

In that entry, I said that a poster depicting a severely disabled man appealed to monetary greed. Since then, I have learned about the history of pre-WWII Germany. WWI decimated the German economy. People were literally starving. So, it wasn't fair of me to say that it appealed to greed. It appealed to survival. Now, please don't think I am advocating for the Nazi idea of euthanasia of defectives. I am not. I am simply trying to present historical fact. I am of the opinion that the killing of those born with birth defects is just plain wrong. It is one of my absolutes.

I have admitted in the past that I am woefully ignorant of world history, haven't I? If not, consider this my confession.

Atrios, you got some 'splainin' to do!

2005-03-01T08:45:00.000-05:00

Atrios over at Eschaton posted this. It almost made me spew my coffee on my viewpanel.

Senior administration officials have informed Fox News that according to the latest intelligence, Osama bin Laden opposes Bush's plans for Social Security privatization.

Developing...

-Atrios 5:52 PM

Uh, "developing"? Wait a second, this isn't for real, is it?

Tell me it's not, please, Atrios? Tell me it's a product of your fevered and twisted humor, designed to fill a bit of time on the blog!

First Osama helps Bush get elected by threatening those states that vote for him. Now he opposes Social Security reform.

I begin to suspect that Bush is using a sock-puppet. Good gods almighty, how stupid are the American sheeple?

Picture7

2005-02-25T22:45:00.000-05:00

For John @ AMERICABlog

Why it matters

2005-02-21T18:15:00.000-05:00

Avinash asks:

Jean,
This is another example of why we need to focus on the real issues at hand. Frankly do any of us really care what is displayed on the grounds of the State Capitol. Instead of trying to resolve the present stalemate regarding the choice of conservative justices (I don't agree with Bush trying to shove them down our throat either) and trying to get justice for the gay rights we are looking at stuff like this which is not going to lead to anything constructive. Since you are a law student (I remeber reading that somewhere on your blog) maybe you can shed better perspective on this issue.

I chose to link to this story because the display of the "Ten Commandments" on state or federal property is a specifically Christian*act. By allowing it, it is establishing a state religion, something that is prohibited by the US Constitution. When the US Constitution is negated, it opens the door for religious dogma to become US law. This would allow the federal government to deny minorities (such as gays) their civil rights.

BTW, I am not a law student, yet. I'm just beginning. I need to get a 4-year degree first, then apply to law school.

*I say Christian because although it is in the "Old Testament", all the translations are from Christian Bibles such as the King James Version. Further, Judaism holds that there are 613 Mitzvot, not 10.

How-to make an image-link on your blog

2005-02-21T18:03:00.000-05:00

How to put an image on your blog and make it a link:

First, you much get a copy of the image: right-click and save to disk the image. Then upload it to your own webspace. If you use the URL of the image here, it will freak out Photobucket, and all anyone will see is "Bandwidth exceded, try again later".

I use Flickr. I can also recommend ImageShack if you don't want to register for an account.

Once the image is uploaded to your webspace, note the URL that goes directly to the image, not to a page with the image on it. You can tell the difference because pages usually end with ".htm", or ".html". Images alone end in ".jpg" or ".gif".

You will also need the URL of the page you want the image to link to. In this case, I am going to link back to http://committeetoprotectbloggers.blogspot.com/.

Once you have that infromation, here is what you will need to type into your blog entry field:

I used a screen capture of my text editor to put that up. I don't know how to code it so that it won't automatically become the image-link!
Publish your post.

Home Grown Democrat

2005-02-21T08:35:00.000-05:00

washingtonpost.com: Supreme Court on a Shoestring:
Supreme Court on a Shoestring
Homeless Man Takes On Texas, Religious Display

Thomas Van Orden lives in a tent in the woods. But he refused to be defined by where he sleeps, but by his efforts to uphold the US Constitution. He's taking the city of Austin, TX to the Supreme Court of the US over violation of the "establishment clause".

It should be interesting to follow this case.

I love Robin Williams!

2005-02-20T07:46:00.000-05:00

What a thing to wake up to in the morning, lemme tell you! When Robin Williams gets ahold of Gannon, it's funny and pointed and absolutely hilarious.

I'm begining to regret that I don't have a TV.

Anyway, for the back story, Bill Mahr had Senator Joe Bidden(D-DE), Leslie Stall of CBS and Robin Williams on. Something Senator Bidden said something that rather scares me:

"Why isn't every major network in the country investigating a security breach, forget anything else."

Forget everything else?

I really am worried that Propa-Gannon-gate is a distraction from something else we should be paying attention to. This is just a bit too salacious, too well tuned to prurient interest. I mean, Guckert actually used the same name he used (Jeff) when he was a paid "escort", for crying out loud! It's like he (or someone) WANTED (him) to be found out!

The trail of crumbs is a bit contrived, methinks.

Anyway, for the video, go here: One Good Move.

Does this sound familiar to you?

2005-02-19T07:24:00.000-05:00

"This person suffering from hereditary defects costs the people 60,000 Reichmarks during his lifetime. People, that is your money. Read 'New People'."

This rather horrifying image is a poster from the Nazi regime. It's advocating for "euthanasia" of "defectives" by appealing to monetary greed.

Compare that to the fostering of greed in the Social Security reform that G. W. Bush is pushing. Hell, G. H. W. Bush started it with "It's your money, you paid for it".

Social Security also is paid to folks like the one in this poster--those too ill or handicapped to work, who depend on guaranteed monthly income to live some semblance of a dignified life. By diverting funds away from the Social Security system for "private accounts", we are neglecting our duty to support the common welfare.

Hallelujah!

2005-02-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

If you remember, I shared a news article saying that the Israeli Army recommended that the bulldozing of homes of the families of suicide bombers and that I hoped that the Israeli government would listen? It seems they have.

Israel to stop destroying homes of attackers - Middle East Conflict - www.smh.com.au:

Israel has announced it will halt a practice Palestinians find particularly objectionable that is also repeatedly denounced by human-rights groups: the demolition of the family homes of suicide bombers and other attackers.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israeli report damns demolitions

2005-02-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israeli report damns demolitions:

So far I have resisted commenting on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict because of many reasons:

1. I'm woefully ignorant of the history of the area, in spite of the efforts of many of my Jewish friends.
2. While I support the rights of Jews to a homeland, I find myself more and more aghast at their methods of "securing" it.
3. While I support the rights of Palestinians to a homeland, I find myself more and more aghast at their hatred of Israel
4. It's not my business as a non-Muslim/non-Jew to interfere with their conflict
5. I'm not prepared for the storm of comments that could conceivably arrive should I take a stand or make comments.

Not withstanding all of the above, I just read something that gives me hope for the ongoing situation in Israel and Gaza:

The Israeli army seems to have finally "gotten it". Bulldozing the homes of Palestinian suicide bombers only pisses off Palestinians further, and provides impetus for further attacks on Israel. Let's hope the Government of Israel listens, and stops this practice.

While Bush Stonewalls on the Kyoto Treaty, States take the lead

2005-02-17T08:33:00.000-05:00

Amazing! I'm listening to NPR's "All Things Considered". Connecticut is working to reduce greenhouse emissions to pre-1990 levels. What really made me happy was hearing that over 30 states are addressing global warming on their own.

Well worth hearing!

Freedom of the press?

2005-02-16T21:01:00.000-05:00

I am not a journalist. Nor have I ever been a prostitute. However, I depend on many sources of information to write here. Most of it comes from the blogosphere, true, but I also depend on the main-stream media.

I've been following the Gannon exposé with growing alarm. For those that aren't aware, (and no, I don't believe in using terms like "living under a rock" to describe my readers) Jeff Gannon/James Guckert was exposed as a male prostitute while he was acting as a Republican activist shill in the White House press room. He also, it seems, had access to a classified CIA memo that pertains to the outing of Valerie Plame, the covert-ops agent in the CIA.

Prior to that, Robert Novak had gone on record to say that he'd been told by "two senior administration officials" had told him the the reason Joseph Wilson had been sent to Nigeria to investigate the rumor that Iraq had purchased yellow cake uranium in order to make nuclear weapons, was because it was his wife, Valerie Plame, had suggested it.

To me, this is an attempt to discredit Wilson when he wrote an article saying that it never happened, and that the Bush administration had led us into a war under false pretenses.

The disclosure of the identity of a clandestine operative is a violation of Federal law.

Whoever broke the news to Novak is in violation of the law.

Novak has not publically revealed his sources.

Two journalists have recently been forced by the court to testify, or go to jail.

The kicker is that only Matt Cooper actually wrote about the case, but did not write about it until after the Novak story was published, and then only to question the motivation.
Judith Miller never wrote about it. Both, however, questioned the motivation for Novak's story, and for the revelation of Plame's clandestine status. In addition, they both admit that they had also received information on Plame.

There's speculation that Novak has already testified in the investigation, revealed his source and possibly said that his sources weren't aware of Plame's status.

But we don't know this for a fact.

The appearance is that Matt Cooper and Judith Miller seem to be prosecuted selectively.

Now along comes Rep. Mike Pence, (R-IN). He's introduced a bill (Co-sponsered in the Senate by Sen. Richard Luger) called The Free-Flow of Information Act of 2005 designed to shield journalists and reporters from subpoenas.

This is a matter that deserves very careful consideration.

When a federal crime is committed, especially if it seems that it's done to discredit or retaliate against someone the administration seems to dislike, do they deserve to hide behind the journalists they use as tools to those unethical ends?

If a journalist can be force to reveal confidential sources, what effect is that going to have on the free-flow of information in this nation?

Are journalists ever viewed as martyrs to the suppression of free speech if they go to jail for not revealing those sources?

How objective is our judicial system if they prosecute only some journalists for not revealing sources? Why isn't the law being applied equally, here?

Would Rep. Pence's bill help protect people like Cooper and Miller? Or would it open up the field for more abuses of free press as it seems Novak has done?

One final observation:

George Bush could encourage his administration to 'fess up, and save a lot of agita over first amendment rights.

Open letter to the man going by the name of "Jeff Gannon"

2005-02-16T16:35:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. "Gannon";

I've been following your story for a while. I remember reacting with shock to your loaded questions in press meetings. I remember a bit of schadenfreude at reading how you owned salacious domain names. And I was outraged by your seeming hypocrisy at being a male prostitute.

And finally, I was disgusted with your comment that "you've received forgiveness for sins of the past".

If religion doesn't make you a better person, it is of no earthly use. One of the beefs I have with Catholic dogma is that you can continue sinning if you simply confess and follow through with your "penance", which, from what I understand usually consists in a few prayers.

Jesus taught that the widow's mite was worth more in the eyes of God that the rich man's generous offering.

He taught forgiveness; The woman taken in adultery is an example.

He urged kindness, generosity, non-judgement.

He never once mentioned homosexuality.

He accepted sinners into his company.

My advice to you is this: Study the life of Jesus. Offer your life serving the REAL public interest, the needs of the poor, the desperate, the drug addict, the prostitute. Advocate on their behalf. If you've lived that life, you know how demeaning it can be.

Here's your chance, Mr. "Gannon". Show us Christ's love and compassion. Realign your political ideology with that of your Saviour. You've received forgiveness from God. To receive the forgiveness of your fellow Americans, start bearing the fruits of true Christianity.

I think you'd be surprised at the support you received from Liberals and Democrats across America if you did.

In all sincerity,
Jean Dudley.

Good work John!

2005-02-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

John over at AMERICABlog has done some digging and found some pretty incriminating evidence that "Gannon" was a male prostitute. WARNING! NOT WORK SAFE IMAGES! "A Man Called Jeff".

I don't normally read comments, but I've been reading with fascination. Until, that is, I read this one:

"Guckert only became a Christian because crucifixes are hot."
--"Madonna"

ROFL!

Anyway, the following come to mind:

This sort of thing seems to be pretty weird; A male prostitute gets daily press passes and is called on to pitch soft-ball questions to Press Secretary Scott McLellan and to the president himself
while there are pictures of him naked and erect on the web
; Who is going to take the fall for this? Silly me, naive me, I have to wonder if "Gannon" was planted by someone with an axe to grind. I'm reminded of that video of the guy who lobbed a bottle over the heads of a crowd and amongst the police at the inauguration, then ran as the police responded by hosing the crowd with pepper spray as he ran away.

This is convoluted and weird. I think he's a plant, all right. But whose? And why? What motivations are at play? Someone is out to get someone, and is using "Gannon", I can feel it in my gut.

Is Gannon "innocent"? Doubtful. Prostitution is illegal. Hypocrisy is ethically and morally wrong. But who put him up to this? While there were images of him on the net in the nude?

He's small potatoes. Someone is trying to make someone look bad. That's who we need to be looking for.

So many permutations of political game-playing here.

I don't care if it's the left or the right doing this. It's wrong.

Know your rights!

2005-02-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

What if images like this had never seen the light of day?

This photograph galvanized a nation on the abuse of power by the US National Guard when it became the basis of the cover of the May 18th, 1970 cover of Newsweek.

What if John Filo had been stopped from ever publishing this picture? What if his camera had been confiscated? What if the "Pieta of Kent State" had never been seen by Americans?
As a photographer myself, it bothers me that images like this, powerful images that sere themselves into the communal mind of a nation are at risk. And they are.

A photojournalist tells his story of harassment from MUNI security and San Fransisco police after taking innocuous pictures like this one of happy, shiny people waiting for the train.

Here is a wonderful list of rights for the photographer to know by heart. Read it, print it out, carry it with you.

Thanks to BoingBoing for publishing Steve's story, and for updating with additional links to various Rights lists.

Transcript of the "Gannon" interview, eight part (final)

2005-02-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

This ends the interview with "Jeff Gannon".

I think that's, I think that's, that's certainly more than my collegues will admit, that uh, they have, uh, ideological leanings that, uh, are reflected in their questions (17:12)and their stories. I mean I've been, and--th-that, uh,the whole point of this is that, uh, I've been upfront about ah, how I persue the story, the, ah, the angle I take, and, uh, and my collegues haven't been this forthcoming, and they've critizied me for it, which is, uh, wh-which doesn't reflect well on them.
F: I hear ya on that, uh, one of the things I've noticed in your, in your reporting on things like, uh, uh, I guess ambassador wilson and other-
G:(Crosstalk) Mmm-hmm
F:-stuff, is that, you know, you're saying 'listen, I'm real reporting, I'm not simply just, uh, taking somebody's surface word for it somebody's say-so
G: Right.
F: You know. In a sense, you're asking that of your, your, listeners, and your readers, that, and in, and other journalists who sort of accept that your motivations are pure, which I'm not questioning, ah, even though there's no way to be transparent about it, because they don't necessarily know you are who you are, if you know what I mean
G: Right
F: is tha--er,er--
G:(crosstalk) Well--
F: do you understand my question?
G: yeah, I-I do, but, a-at some point, what's-what's the relavance of it? I mean-uh, knowing, knowing that I, uh, skipped 5th grade, in, uh, in elemetary school, is that important?
F: Uh, it means you're a sharp guy at the time, but, uh, probably doesn't have direct bearing on this
G: (chuckles during above)Right, and that's, and that's what really will--
F: But knowing that, that, you're actually, which, you know, I'm perfectly willing to believe that you're telling the truth about no donations and no contri-you know no political activity
G: (cross talking) Right, well I --
F: that tends-(crosstalk)-that tends to support what you're doing
G: I wouldn't give politicians a dime
F: (chuckles)
G: Once they get elected, they've got their hands in your pocket already, a-and believe me, I don't want to encourage them. So, uuuh, you know, I-I don't, uh,--(cross talking)
F: All right, very briefly, in terms of Talon News, my understanding is it's uh, uh, supported at least logistically by it's, uh,GOPUSA? Is that right?
G: There, there exist two entities(19:00)
F: OK
G: One is GOPUSA, which is an, which is an online, ah, discussion board, aaah, they--they do opinion stuff-uh, yeah, very conservative, uh, obviously uh, with-uh, with initials like-uh, GOPUSA, ah, I'd say many of the people over there talking, aaah, discussing're republicans
F: Sure.
G:Aaah
F: Fair enough.
G: Talon News is owned by the same person that, uh, owns and operates GOPUSA Talon News is an independant organization, uh, that really does news. Now. Are we conservative? Absolutely. Uh, I have nothing to do with GOPUSA. I report for talon news, I don't write anything for GOPUSA. My news content, ah, finds it's way onto their website as it does ah, Men's News Daily, as it does Hawaiian Reporter, as it does, uh, half a dozen whose names I can't remember. Soo, y-you know, I-there is a--
F: It has the link of the-the owner (G: right, right, yeah) but it doesn't otherwise it's not, you saying it's not--
F: Right, there's a degree of separation between myself and Talon News and GOPUSA. And, uh, I'm very comfortable with that, and-and, uh, you know, I-I defend that. That's, you know.
F: I don't know that thats under attack, I just wanted to understand that-that the stocks (?) are,
G: Yeah, I mean, well, you know that there has been, you know, accusations that, uh, you know, it's funded by the Republican Party, it's, uh, uh, you know, some kind of activist wing of Republican Party, and, and-uh,
F: and you-you're feeling is 'look, these are, uh, linked at the top, but otherwise s-separately run institutions'
G: Absolutely. Now you know, uh, Bobby Eberle is the key, to that, he owns both, and-uh, he's the editor. and he'll write stories for, for Talon, as, in his role as, uh, as editor, but, uh, you know,I have no links to GOPUSA except through, you know, through him and that common ownership. So, I'm, I'm really comfortable with, with, uh, what I do. And, uh, the, the linkage that all these others are trying ta', uh, emphasize is, uh, well, they're mistaken, and, uh, and-and certainly, even the, even the GOPUSA website, uh, doesn't get, you know, isn't supported by the Republican Party, or, these big Republican donors, uh, that are standing somehow, standing in the background, that just isn't happening.
F: Um, one last, uh-atempt ta, ta, uh, get-get a little clarity here, um, you've been doing this the white house uh, as I understand it for two years, right-
G: right, correct, mmm-hmm.
F: Uh, prior to that, uh, were you serving in a journalistic function in life? I mean, I-I know you were writing in sort of your private realm--
G: yeah, I have been, I was doing independant writing. No, I was not uh,
F: OK
G: quote unquote a journalist quote unquote
F: OK. But, uh, So, ah, we wouldn't have seen or heard you on stuff earlier. So this was sort of, I mean you, you, you'd, uh, learned on the job. In terms of the, this particular, the rigors of this particular uh, endeavor.
G: Journalism is-isn't all that rigorous. I mean, if you know how to write, ah, you know, you have your basic story construction, gee, I guess shouldn't say these things about journalism people spend thousands and thousands of dollars to go to journalism school, but-uh, the truth of the matter is that, uh, you know, there's-uh, there's a basic story structure and-uh, and certain, uh, er, standards that you set, and you go about uh, presenting information to people. And I think it's uh, it's-uh, pretty straight-foward thing to do.

It seems I've been duplicating effort...

2005-02-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

Mike V. left a comment that made me aware that I've been duplicating effort on the transcription of the Folkenflik interview with "Gannon". Color my face red! In spite of that, I plan on resuming the transcription later today because I find that by listening hard, over and over in some cases to the words said and captured "on tape", I am really getting a very deep understanding of the sort of man "Gannon" is.

Also, I have not read Mike's transcripts, nor do I plan to until I've completed my transcriptions. I don't know how accurate his transcript is, but I know that I'm trying my damnedest to include nuances that might be missed if I were to leave out all the miscues, uhs, ahs, and ers. If he's done it as well, (included the inarticulations), then I want to compare mine with his for accuracy. If he hasn't, his will probably make for easier reading, and then folks can come here for the full version.

Different people will hear things differently. Different people will transcribe differently. And separate transcriptions of the same material might well be a way to compare differing viewpoints.

Mike, congrats on completing your transcript in such relatively short-order. Considering my time is limited to chunks here and there, I'll be a bit behind you in presentation.

Yes, I plan on presenting the full transcript once this is all over, in one post. It must be a pain to read it in chunks!

Jean.

Transcript of the "Gannon" interview, seventh part

2005-02-10T13:47:00.000-05:00

Note: Almost done. I think I've learned that Win XP is better for transcriptions if I'm using RealOne, because it allows me to back up second by second using key commands. RealOne on the Mac doesn't--or I simply haven't learned how yet.

G: These are reasons why people would do it, and it's, and it's nothing, uh, to, to hide any, you know, to hide anything. It's, uuhh, it's-it's, would, (unclear)it, it would probably is just, ah, a commercial consideration, frankly. And, ah, --
F: Well, if we're talking hypothetically, i--uh, help m-help me understand what a (cross talk, can't hear what G is saying) Commercial consideration would be--
G: Well, I mean, i-if you have a name that's, uh, uh, difficult to pronounce, difficult to remember, aaah, then, or difficult to spell, ah, it has, uh, doesn't have great commercial appeal. And if you have the opportunity to, ah, to make it more appealing, and more memorable, then one would want to do that. (15:32)And there's nothing wrong with that. And, uh, the...someone's, you know like Batman's true identity, (chuckling) it really doesn't have, have anything to do with the story. I have, uh, been very forthcoming about the fact that, uh, I, you know, what my ideological background is, and the fact that I have, ah, never uh, supported a campaign, that is, uh, given money to a campaign, worked for a campaign, worked for anybody who was elected, worked for anybody who was, uh, running for election, I've uh, never, uh, been a candidate for anything myself, never worked uh--
F: Sure, ahb, you understand that, that, uh, you know, I've had to write about uh, any number of times about, or cover, uh, political journalists before,one of the things about know the person's actual name is you can verify that what they say is true and you can say so--
G: Well--
F: and you know, on the air, or in print. You can say yeh, there are, there are no donations listed under--
G: Right,
F:--Mr. Gannon's name, or, (cross talk) whatever--
G: Yeah, right, well, you, you can be sure, Well, these one of those things you have to take my word for it, ah, you know, I'm, I'm not affiliated, I don't have any, ah, political affiliations, and, uh, you know, tha--those who, ah, want to, ah, attribute those kinds of things to me, uh, they're mistaken, and of course that's all on the basis of, uh, you know, of some kind of ah, character assasination. Look, I confess, I'm a conservative. I think that's, I think that's, that's certainly more than my collegues will admit, that uh, they have, uh, ideological leanings that, uh, are reflected in their questions (17:12)

Transcript of the "Gannon" interview, sixth part

2005-02-10T12:44:00.000-05:00

Note: Ok, here's the latest bit. Sorry, but when you have customers in a store, they come first. Besides, I already posted one extra bit after I said I was leaving!

F: I'd been told that, that, that the named you'd applied for uh, credentials with, uh, had been uh, changed...
G: What-What, whould you stop for a moment?
F: Yes. (12:10)
G: I--
F: And we're not look, we're not broadcasting this as live interviews, so if you want to say...
G: I'm not going to answer that I'm not goin to answer the question no matter what name you throw at me, there's been like half a dozen names that have been, that have been put up there, and, uh, I, I'm not going to confirm or deny that, and uh, whether this is for broadcast or not because, uh, frankly...
F: Naw, I'm just saying--my saying it aloud doesn't mean it gets in the the air. It just, I'm asking you, you can decide whether or not you want to respond, that's totally your right. Lookit, I'm not going to badger you on it, I'm just gonna--
G: OK.
F: OK?
G: Yeah.(?)
F: So (chuckling at the miscued responses) "The thing I was told, that, that that, uh, that you'd applied for credentials was James Guckert, uh, that may be a slight mispronunciation, but, uh, I believe was (spelling it out loud) gee-you-cee-kay-ee-are-tee. Is that your name?
G: Well, I would again, um, I'm gonna decline to discuss that. Uh, if, if that information is coming from the, uh, senate press gallery, they've, uh, you know, they've, uh, in telling you those kinds of details, they've already broken a, uh, a confidentiality uh, clause, in the application process, and I'll deal with them accordingly--
F: Well I'm not saying they did--just asking (cross talk)the question
G:I-I, but I'm just telling you that's, if they did tell you something like that, you know, they're, you know, they have no right to do that.
F: OK. Ah, secondly, uh, I understand what you said in terms of, you know, you feel that you've got, I mean, I believe you, you say you've gotten uh, a lot of uh, unwanted, very hostile attention over the last, uh, call it, uh-uh, five days, uh--
G: Mmm-hmmm,
F: uh, to your question, that your--to your presence, and that it's been threatening. So I understand that over the last five days why you might want your privacy. Prior to that, why use a pseudonym?
G: Well, there's, aaah, many people in this, in this business who, who do that. Uh, perhaps we're not all born with the, a-a name that, that's commercial, or, uh...tha--you know, uh, tha--everybody--people in Holywood do it, uh, certainly on-air personalities do it, uh, radio people do it, uh, a lot of print people use their own name but, uh, you know, there are reasons to do such a thing, uh, besides being part of a CIA conspiracy or, ah, having something to hide. Uh, it, ah, could be a very innocent, uh,--(cross talk, can't hear G's words)
F: Right, so I'm asking yours, so I'm asking yours.
G: Well, I mean, it could be, uh,--
F: Yeah, right. I understand what it could be, (chuckle) I'm asking what it is.
G: Well, I'm not even--I'm not even, uh, going to acknowledge that, uh, that it is a pseudonym. So, aaah, but...
F: Well, you're an international man of mystery, what can I tell ya...(G is chuckling in the background)(14:46)

Transcript of the "Gannon" interview, fifth part

2005-02-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

Note: OK, now I'm really heading out. Will be back with more as soon as I can. Enjoy!

G: Yeah, I-I believe that's true, I believe that, that, that, that their rules are outdated, and, uh, and you know, I not going to bash uh, bash those people they're, they uh, that's all done by committee, and like anything else on Capitol Hill, uh, it takes a lot to, uh, to change things. Uh, they're gonna catch up, and, uh, and I will be, uh, I'll be treated fairly, uh, when, when they do catch up, and uh, in the mean time, I'm going to continue to do what I do, and obviously, uh, people like it, uh, people are paying attention, uh, because I've gotten, uh, in addition to the hate mail, I've gotten quite a bit of support, from people across the country, written to me and said "You know, I wondered the answer, uh, to that question myself, uh, thank you for asking it. Soooo, there's uh, obviously there's a market for, uh, what I'm doing.
F: Do you know, roughly , uh how many page strikes you get a week, or anything like that?
G:, Well, uh, for Talon news, I , I, I don't. Uh, because, and one of the things, uh, that is, uh, that I get to both primary and secondary hits, uh, my, uh my stories are posted there, and, uh, they're picked up by other websites, and, uh, they zoom around the internet, so I-I have no idea. I know that it is distributed to, uh, over seven hundred thousand people a day with, uh, through direct, uh, subscriber lists
F: Well, that's a lot of people (11:17)
G: Well, yeah, we-we do have a, do have great reach and that's the, uh, that's the beauty of the new media, is that, uh, it's, it's now wide open, and, uh, people have the opportunity, they don't have to rely on, on, uh, whether you have cable tv or not, or a satellite dish or not, or uh if you live in a place, uh, that has, uh, only one newspaper, uh, now you can choose, uh, you have so many other (clears throat) means to, to, to get information a-and that's, that's wonderful. And it's disturbing that there are people out there who believe that that's a bad thing, and the, some of the things that have been done to keep me from what I do, uh, seems to be headed in that direction and that's, uh, that's unfortunate.(12:02)

Meta entry: Transcripts will continue at about noon, EST!

2005-02-10T09:05:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm headed for the showers, and then off to the bookstore. I will continue from there, provided I can make the shift from Mac to PC to transcribe. It's 9:04 EST, I should resume transcribing by 11:30, and hopefully have more up by noon, EST.

later, all!
Jean.

Transcript of the "Gannon" interview, fourth part

2005-02-10T09:02:00.000-05:00

Note; Getting some flickering of lights, here, want to post this incase there's a power outage. Will be headed to work shortly, need to get a shower. In case I wasn't clear, I work 18 hours a week at a friend's bookstore, and she is generously paying me when she can't afford to.

Whoa, major light flickers here, gonna post and shut down:

F: And, so, you, you haven't had to go through the, the degree of the, the, the security whatever--
G: Well, that's, that's not true
F: OK,
G: That's not true, uh, I submit, uh, personal information uh, to the white house, and uh, and they do the background check, and uh, they let me in. And, uh, I, I'm fully in compliance, I don't get any special treatment,
F: No-no-no, I don't, I wasn't saying that you're getting special treatment at all, it's just, uh, (crosstalk, can't get it) I thought it was a slightly different process
G: Others have said that...
F: OK.
G: And uh, I wanted to clear that up, I'm not getting any special treatment, that isn't available to uh, to others. Uh, as far as the, uh, the, uh, credentialing process, uh, it's the, the, those who are responsible for doing, uh, credentialing, and that comes from the white house, see, the whitehouse doesn't do that, it's uh, it rests with the, uh, the congressional press galleries (9:14)
F: Right.
G: And, uh... and their criteria doesn't reflect the, uh, the changes in the media, and uh, and it's a discussion that's a little beyond me because I, I don't control, uhhh, I'm in, I'm in full compliance with their requirements for a reporter Uh, they have questions about our news service that uh, that need to be dealt with, and, uh, they will be in due course...(9:41)
G: And this is because they don't understand the new media world? Is that what you're saying, or, or, uh...
F: Yeah, I, I believe that's true...

Transcript of the "Gannon" interview, third part.

2005-02-10T08:14:00.000-05:00

OK, now just past 8 minutes. The more I listen, the more I'm inclined to believe that "Jeff" uses "uh" more as he's about to lie. Also, be sure to check out his experience and credentials as a "journalist".

G: And, uh, there's something wrong with that? When everybody's out there, uh, taking shots at the president, is it wrong to have a president that, uh, or a question that might favor the president? (5:16) But none of those people spoke to the times where I have been, uh, asked questions that were critical, uh, of the administration uh, particularly on abortion and judgees. Uh, their position have, uh, caused concern among conservatives and uh that was an important part of my story. (5:36)
F: Sure. One of the uh, interesting things about journalism is of course, you know, nobody needs a license to do it. Tell me, uh, your life experiences before.
G: Well, I-i have spent a lifetime of writing, uh, none for pay, unfortunately and uh, and I've spent two years reporting at the white house, and uh, I have uh, written a story every day five days a week, uh, for two years, and uh, I think, uh, my journalism credentials are fairly well established, uh, as a result of that.
F: Sure, I was just interested in what else you've done.
G: Well yeah, I've, I've done a great many things in my lifetime, uh, I've, uh, I've worked for others, I've had my own business, I've been a truck driver, (6:19) wholesale experience, retail experience, it's uh, I've been out in the world and uh, I have a great background to, uh, (you know), to uh, have a critical outlook at uh, at the news.
F: One of the things that was also raised was the notion of, uh, I mean, uh, my senses, from reading your work, and reading your website that, you know, you're proud of what you do,
G: Absolutely.
F: Uh, uh, why not do it under your own name? (6:44)
G: Well, there's er, still unconfirmed reports wether I use a pseudonym or not, and probably I would have addressed this question differently a week ago, until I got, have become the target of uh, threats against myself and, uh, and against my family. And, uh, I'm reluctant to reveal any personal information. Uh, it's uh, you know, this matter's been, the hate mail I've gotten, uh, and uh, some of the website postings, I've uh, brought to the attention of the federal, uh, officials, to, uh, to look into and uh, it's, it's disturbing that the same people that are uh, allegedly proponents of free speech have decided that I don't have the right to my free speech. And that, and further more, that these people have the right to deny the president the opportunity to call on anybody he wants to. (7:36) (I mean that) if it, if it were a room full of me, and, uh, in the briefing room, then the people would have a legitimate complaint. But it's not, it's, matter of fact, it's one voice that, uh, somehow the, the people who preach uh, tolerance and diversity can't tolerate. (7:56)
F: Again, uh, one of the things matters, uh, say talk a little about identity, I mean, a lot of times there are people who are taking raps whether they're on the right like Armstrong Williams, or other people on the left, you know, they do it by name, they appear on TV, uh, you appear on a web broadcast, uh, you know, my understanding is, that, that when you've, uh, uh, applied for various, uh, you know, perm--uh, you know, sort of, uh, you know, my understandings is you get day passes at the white house right?
G: That's correct.

Need to take a break, go get some cancer sticks, and will hopefully have another page up within an hour.

Meta entry: Singing the song of poverty

2005-02-10T07:47:00.000-05:00

If you've arrived here to read the transcripts from either Daily Kos or AMERICA Blog, I am glad you have an interest in my work. I am an under employed student, and could really use some help here. I'm giving up study time to do this, and have less than $500/month income.

If you can spare a dollar or two, I'd appreciate it.

I accept PayPal donations. In light of the recent IDN exploit, I won't put a link up, but ask you to type in paypal.com in your browser, and make a payment to jean dot dudley at gmail dot com. Don't forget, there's a dot between jean and dudley.

I thank you for your generosity. Now, back to transcriptions.

Jean.

Transcript of the "Gannon" interview, second part

2005-02-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

Note: Ongoing presentation of a transcript of the NPR interview by David Folkenfilk with "Jeff Gannon".

Page 2 (plus a bit of three)

G: The, uh--
F: I'm just saying your writing, your reporting is also --
G: That's correct
F: And that's your primary outlet
G: That is correct, talon news dot come is the primary outlet for my daily news articles. Now I do have--maintain (clears throat) excuse me I do maintain a, uh, a website, uh, Jeff Gannon dot com where there's a lot of information about myself as well as, uh, I do, uh, news analysis, and some commentary
F: OK...
G:Late-lately it's been featuring the media
F: Uh-huh...
G: the news has been the news, or at least how it's gathered has been the news for quite a while
F: So let's uh, go back to my original starting point which is the question of sort of the definitions how do you define, uh, both, first your role and then, how do you define what a journalist is?
G: well, I-I'm reporting the news. I, uh, I've (3:32) done, uh can't report all of the news, and I have a great uh, ability to pick and choose the stories I like to follow I get some editorial direction and of course my beat is the white house so it usually has something to do with what's going on at the white house.
F: Gotcha. And so how would define a journalist as opposed to say an activist or, or, or a politician or that sorta thing?
G: Well, a politician is, you know, campaigning to be elected, a, uh, a, uh, I'm sorry, what were the other choices?
F: Well, like an activist, or...
G: Well, and activist is, is someone who, who takes say, uh, a strong position and uh, uh, speaks in, in support of that issue or that piece of legislation and uh, I do neither of those two things, uh, even though, uh, I do cover extensively stories that uh, that sometimes people are activists about.
F: You've obviously gotten a little it of attention in recent days over uh, you know, I guess stemming from mostly from the uh from the question at the press confrence
G: Yes, that's correct
F: Ah, what do you make of that?
G: Uhm Well, there, theres a lot of different things going on there, but, uh, perhaps the most, uh, uh, disturbing thing has been the uh, the notion that there isn't room for one conservative voice in the white house press corp.
F: Well, the way it was posed by the people, some of the reporters I saw quoted, was that they said you know i-i-i-it's not that he has beliefs, it's that those beliefs are (4:59) presented in their questio--you know, in his questions, he sort of you know, uh, validly with a point of view, seemingly to support the president...
G: And, uh, there's something wrong with that? When everybody's out there, uh, taking shots at the president, is it wrong to have a president that, uh, or a question that might favor the president? (5:16)

Transcript of the "Gannon" interview, first part.

2005-02-09T21:17:00.000-05:00

Note: This is the best I can do, I'm not a transcriber. I'll be posting it one page at a time as I complete it. Numbers in parenthesis are seconds into the recording at the NPR site.

This is the extended version of the interview by David Folkenfilk with "Jeff Gannon". It can be found here.

F: I was prompted, as I think I mentioned in the email, Uh, by the uh, Armstrong Williams situation, where, you know, uh, different people have different definitions for journalist, and I thought this might be a good chance to give you an opportunity to say "OK, well here's, here's how I think of myself, here's the job I'm doing--
G: Mmm-hmmm.
F: So, tell me a little bit about how you conceive of your job, and how you got into it, and let's take it from there.
G: All-righty. uh, how I see my job is that I need to, uh, report stories that I think are important, and uh, recently my, uh, responsibility has been to report on those things that, uh, don't usually make it to the main-stream press.
F: So, uh, play that out for me, I mean, uh,(44)you're, uh--
G: I mean for (45) example, I, uh, I (48)un, unapologetically a uh, a conservative, and, uh, there is a (54) huge, uh, audience out there of--conservatives, whose, uh, whose issues very rarely get mentioned and certainly not treated properly when they do get mentioned in the mainstream press
F So without going into incredible detail gimme a couple examples of topics of stories that, that, that are, that you know, you're able to focus attention on that way
G: I think abortion is, uh, is one of those issues, uh, the, uh, I-I, uh, find the, uh, uh, the debate over abortion is-is certainly skewed, in, uh, in a direction thats, uh pro-abortion and, uh, also, uh, judicial nominees, the issue very rarely comes up even though its of great concern to conservatives across the country and was a factor in the last presidential election and in many of the senate races uh, but the only time you're going to hear about it from uh, most of my colleagues is, is when we're talking about a replacement uh, for a supreme court justice
F: Uh, let's talk a little bit about your uh, outlets you have, uh both, uh, uh, Talon news dot com, and also uh, a radio show is that right, can you tell me briefly about each?
G I, I have an online uh, webcast, uh, a program every week on right talk dot com and uh, it's a, a free-wheeling hour of uh, uh, interviews and commentary, uh, I, I generally have somebody who is, is, uh, uh, a member of congress on to talk about, uh, issues of importance, and uh, issues of the day
F: So you have a weekly radio show and that lasts for how long?
G: Uh, it's an hour long show
F: OK, and it's a webcast so anyone can sorta dial up and listen
G: It is a web cast and uh, you can either listen live at 3 o'clock on Thursdays or uh, it is an archived show so it is available at other times.
F: OK And uh, it's also on Talon News dot com, is that right?

More as I complete the transcription. Stay tooned.

Home Grown Democrat of the day

2005-02-09T10:32:00.000-05:00

I live in Rhode Island. As you probably know, it's snowed a great deal here lately, and I still haven't cleared a path from the curb to my mailbox. Not wanting the wrath of the US Postal service, I went down to put in a Hold request, promising to pick up my mail rather than make my delivery man (yes, he's a man, so I'm not being sexist here) trudge through dirty snow to get to my mailbox.

This morning after my Constitutional Law class, I shopped at my local post office to pick up my mail.

When I arrived, there was an old man with the thickest glasses I'd ever seen trying to fill out a change of address form. I noted that he was missing the first and second joints of all the fingers on his right hand. He seemed to be in some pain, and had a cane on the table beside him.

He was having trouble. It was difficult for him to see the form, and also he seemed a bit confused about the date, asking me(!) what day it was.

As I stood in line, a woman came up to him, another customer and offered to fill it out for him. He gave her the information, and she filled the form out in a neat hand. The tone of her voice was professional, and after asking him his name, she referred to him as Mr. _____. Once it was filled out, she verified every item.

I was struck by her kindness, and the dignity and respect she gave him.

He seemed grateful, truly grateful for her help. She left before I could ask her for her name, and take a picture of her for this web log.

To that lady, I want to say thank you for treating a member of your community with such grace and dignity. You are an example of what a true Home-Grown Democrat is.

Again, I have no clue what her political affiliation is. But she shows the spirit of community that is the basis for what the Democratic party stands for.

I'm no fan of Hillary, but...

2005-02-08T20:05:00.000-05:00

I'm no fan of Hillary Rodham Clinton, but by the Gods she was right --er, correct when she uttered the words "a vast, right-wing conspiracy". Granted, the Republicans can't be held responsible for Bill's non-sexual activity with Ms. Lewinsky, but they sure as hell are responsible for his subsequent impeachment.

But back to the vast, right-wing conspiracy: Daily Kos (rhymes with 'rose') points us to an Alternet article on just that.

The part that hit home for me:

Stein says he woke up the day after Election Day in 2002 and realized "we have a one-party state in this country."

Go, read, save it to your disk.

Add another to the List of Evil

2005-02-08T14:59:00.000-05:00

John over at AMERICABlog provided this heads-up about Karl Rove: Reuters reports that...

"President Bush's senior adviser, Karl Rove, will take on a wider role in developing and coordinating policy in the president's second term, the White House announced on Tuesday.

Rove, who was Bush's top political strategist during his 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns, will become a deputy White House chief of staff in charge of coordinating policy between the White House Domestic Policy Council, National Economic Council, National Security Council and Homeland Security Council.

Rove will continue to oversee White House strategy to advance Bush's agenda and will "make sure we have an open and fair process for the development of policy and to make sure the policy is complementary and consistent with the various councils," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said."

As John said--Since Rove is now heading both domestic and foreign policy, does that mean he's really in charge of every aspect of America? This man scares me.

"Homegrown Democrat Award"

2005-02-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

While Atrios of Eschaton feels the need to point out various wankers, I think it's time to honor folks like Lloyd Evans. I'm going to call this the "Homegrown Democrat Award", in honor of Garrison Keillor's book of the same name. I've chosen Lloyd because he gets it: We cannot live apart and separate from each other, and to share with those less fortunate is one of the best things we human beings can do. I have no clue what Lloyd's political affiliations are. I know I'd be proud to have him in the Democratic Party because he displays the sort of caring Democrats support. "I get by with a little help from my friends".

The Seattle Times: "Furniture Guy" helps immigrant families feel at home:

First, he delivered a sofa to a Kurdish refugee who didn't have any money. Then, he gave a $2,000 dining table to a Ukrainian couple in Federal Way. Later, he scrounged around for a bed and some pots and pans for a Liberian teen whose apartment was bare.

Lloyd Evans of Covington doesn't know when he became known as the "Furniture Guy." But for the past eight years, he has combed yard sales, swap meets and rummage sales for household items for newly arrived refugees, sometimes furnishing their entire two- or three-bedroom homes. He's helped some 500 families.

"I was helping the Kurdish. Then people like the Somalis were coming in. Then the Liberians were coming in.

"They kept coming and coming, and there was no one else doing what I was doing," he said. "So here I am eight years later."

What a joy to see such spirit of community.

Follow-up on the Quiznos Manager that kept the store afloat

2005-02-08T12:55:00.000-05:00

The Seattle Times: Quiznos manager gets a boost from the top:

Dawna Lentz, the manager who ran a Quiznos Sub shop on a shoestring after the owners went absent, won't lose her job as she'd feared.

On the contrary, Quiznos is flying the 25-year-old to its Denver headquarters to meet company President Steve Shaffer and to go through training to become a certified manager.

"She's shown loyalty to Quiznos like no other employee has," corporate spokeswoman Stacie Lange said yesterday. "Her ability to keep that store afloat through a very difficult time needs to be commended."

Seems that the good folks of Seattle were willing to help Ms. Lentz: She received job offers from folks all over the city. Frankly, I think Quiznos should offer her the store. Gratis.

Should Psychiatry use the word "evil" to describe the worst of us?

2005-02-08T11:15:00.000-05:00

The New York Times > Health > Mental Health & Behavior > For the Worst of Us, the Diagnosis May Be 'Evil':

Most psychiatrists assiduously avoid the word evil, contending that its use would precipitate a dangerous slide from clinical to moral judgment that could put people on death row unnecessarily and obscure the understanding of violent criminals.

Still, many career forensic examiners say their work forces them to reflect on the concept of evil, and some acknowledge they can find no other term for certain individuals they have evaluated.

It's times like these that I am glad that I am not a psychiatrist. I've read things that mad my skin crawl with horror, and the only word I could come up with is "evil". Hell, I have trouble finding a better word for Rumsfeld and Gonzales.

I'm not a psychiatrist. I don't think I'd have the stomach for it. But I'm reminded of a quote I read in an article on a town mayor that wrote a proclamation prohibiting Satan from entering:

"But if you start thinking that the devil is outside of you, foreign somehow, you stop taking a good, hard look at the evil inside yourself, in your own deeds.''
- Floyd Craig, Inglis, FL

I'm torn. Yes, I think that Gacy, Bundy, Pol Pot, Hitler, Rumsfeld and Gonzales are "evil". But that's a value judgment. And I think that the scientific field of psychiatry should be free of value judgments.

"Frivolous" Asbestos lawsuit charges company with contaminating an entire Montana town.

2005-02-08T10:54:00.000-05:00

Reuters News Article:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - W.R. Grace & Co. and seven current or former executives were charged on Monday with conspiring to endanger residents in Libby, Montana, and concealing the health risks from asbestos-contaminated vermiculite, the U.S. Justice Department said.

George Bush seeks to put an end to corporate responsibility by limiting non-finacial loss to $250,000. Is your life worth only that much?

The Seattle Times: The root of the privatization problem

2005-02-08T08:51:00.000-05:00

This is the best explanation of why Bush's Social Security privatization is not a good idea: It shifts the risk of a stock market failure to the investors.

The Seattle Times: The root of the privatization problem:

"If the president is so thoroughly convinced that the market will outperform the Social Security Trust Fund (invested entirely in U.S. government bonds), why won't he propose that the Social Security administration invest in the market rather than in government bonds? Wouldn't the bigger return guarantee the actuarial soundness of the system?

Ah, but if it didn't, the government would be stuck making up the difference."

Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds: An Iraqi political primer

2005-02-08T08:43:00.000-05:00

This is going to be very short, and overly simplistic. But for those like me who are baffled by the reports coming out of Iraq, here's a short player's list of ethnic and religious groups in Iraq.

Sunnis--this was the minority group that held power in Iraq under Sadaam Hussein. Yes, minority. It's a religious faction of Islam. It was the Sunnis that protested the recent elections, saying that they were under-represented.

Shiites-- Another faction of Islam. These are the majority in Iraq, and were often most abused by Hussein. They are also the most religiously conservative. Think head-to-toe coverings for women.

Kurds--an ethnic group that Hussein tried to exterminate with chemical weapons, and they dominate the north of Iraq.

If any of my readers knows of any mistakes I've made here, please leave a comment to correct my errors.

Addition: Brad of AIDSBlog.com pointed out that Kurds are mostly Islamic. According to Wikipedia, this is true. Oddly, they used to enjoy favor under Sadaam Hussein, but somehow fell out of grace.

I HATE editing comments.

2005-02-06T15:48:00.000-05:00

Dear readers:

I just did something that makes me feel dirty and filthy. I chose to edit a reader's comments. And I did it without asking him. I removed the location of what may possibly be one of the last colonies of Delphinium bakeri in California.

This is why I did so: when something is rare and beautiful, there are people who automatically will try to take it for themselves. Especially if there is little chance of being caught, and if caught, little chance of punishment.

Musafir, that lucky devil, found some of the plants while on a hike. And bless him, he wanted to share that information with anyone else who may be in the area. However, I think he may have overlooked the fact that should others read it and go see them, they might include some who will not feel any compunction against cutting flowers and taking them home.

Or digging the plants up and putting them in their garden.

It's hubris to think that we have the skills to grow the plants--they need a specific type of soil.

I am in the process of getting contact information for Holly Forbes of the University of California Botanical Garden. Should any of my readers see what they believe to be a Baker's Delphinium, or indeed any rare plant species, please send the information to me and I will pass it along to the folks who can use the information best.

Now a bit more about editing comments:

While I believe in free speech, I do not believe in putting others in danger. Publishing phone numbers and addresses along with anything to incite crime against that person is a no-no. This isn't America, it's my web log. I'll try to be a benevolent dictator. But what stays or goes from my comment section is my decision alone.

In a way, I am glad that my first editing wasn't over something hateful. On the other hand, that just made my decision harder.

Musafir, please forgive my pre-emptive strike.

Jean Dudley.

The Seattle Times: Local News: Fast-food shop owner takes off, employees take over

2005-02-05T00:29:00.000-05:00

The Seattle Times: Local News: Fast-food shop owner takes off, employees take over:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002170453_quiznos04.html

So, you wanna tell these working folks to save for their retirement?

Hallelujah!

2005-02-04T14:51:00.000-05:00

Seems the New York State court has declared that gays must be allowed to marry!

Woot!

Add another blog to the fire...

2005-02-04T14:50:00.000-05:00

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to the Stephanie Miller show on Air America Radio. One of the callers had me laughing so hard that I almost ran off the road (all right, I really didn't, but hey, what's a little hyperbole between us traitorous librul scum, eh?). With a style that reminds me of Jesus' General, he vowed that he would never allow disgusting gay maple syrup from Vermont touch his pure pancakes, nor the brand "log Cabin" because we know what that's all about. And Aunt Jemima? Only lesbians were bandanas!

At the end of his call, he said that we could get more of his humor at dailysandwich.blogspot.com.

I jsut visited there, and I recommend it highly.

Fargo Dems listed for denial of entrance.

2005-02-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

George Bush gave a speech in Fargo, North Dakota recently. However, it seems that the folks that organized it created a list of names who were to be denied entrance.

Some of the folks on the list included two high school students, a librarian, a Democratic campaign manager and several university professors.

Another person on the list was a Democrat city council member, Linda Coates. She found out about the list prior to the speech, and decided to go because of it.

Ongoing reports in the Fargo online newspaper have revealed that the list of 42 banned people is comprised of citizens who have either written a local newspaper expressing support for such issues as Gay rights, or are inactive members of the Fargo-Moorhead Democracy for America Meetup group.

Articles in order:

First revelation of the list: Coates on do-not-admit list

The list: 33 on list connected to F-M democracy group

White house response:Local volunteer root of do-not-admit buzz In which the White House denies any knowledge of who generated the list and said "We regret that it happened". Oh, I bet you do. Here's a sparkling example of the intense regret from the executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party:

"I don't know if we'd ever be able to find out what overzealous volunteer it is or anything like that," said Jason Stverak, executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party. "We'll talk to people and stuff, but it will be impossible."

Don't strain yourself and stuff, Jason.

Once again, I recommend using BugMeNot.com to bypass registration.

Another ad you won't see during the Superbowl!

2005-02-04T13:01:00.000-05:00

from AdAge, via Buzzflash:

Ford has pulled an ad from the superbowl airtime for fear of reprisal, apparently.

The upscale auto brand was to make a return to the National Football League's big game Feb. 6 with a 30-second commercial for the all-new 2006 Lincoln Mark LT. It has been more than a decade since Lincoln bought ad time during the Super bowl.

But Ford pulled the ad, which was created by WPP Group's Young & Rubicam Brands, Dearborn, Mich., after receiving complaints from an advocacy group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The group said the commercial, which showed a priest lusting after the Mark LT, was offensive.

Use BugMeNot.com to bypass registrations, and go see the ad, linked from here: "Lincoln Pulls Controversial Super Bowl Ad"

"And now, the rest of the story!"

2005-02-04T12:48:00.000-05:00

Via Buzzflash: Seems that a Budlight commercial was rejected for airtime during the Superbowl. Not to worry, gentle readers, you can view it here:

"Wardrobe malfunction"

Be warned: .wmv file, largish but the *snerk* makes it worth the download time. Like Buzzflash, I have to wonder why it was banned.

More on the Delphinium bakeri

2005-02-04T12:43:00.000-05:00

0287,
originally uploaded by Jean Dudley.

As a follow-up to the first article, here's another photo of Baker's delphinium. I received a gracious note from Doreen Smith giving me permission to use it.

In her letter she said:

The unfortunate plants had the "stupidity" to
grow only in and near a culvert that got blocked by debris once it
rained this Fall. Well, they had to clear the road, but one phone
call to the UC researcher (Holly Forbes from the UC. Bot. Garden) and
she would have been out in a few minutes to salvage any plants or
soil that contained seed that were in the ditch. She is the only
person with a permit to work on the plant since it is on the Fed.
Endangered and Ca. State "rare" list.

If I have any readers in California, take a bit of time to look for this plant next time you're tromping through the woods.

Good news is this, also from Doreen's email:

There is a patch in cultivation already in the E. Bay
Regional Parks Botanic Garden in the "Redwood Forest" section.

Meta entry: Quoting articles

2005-02-04T12:35:00.000-05:00

I've noticed something that bothers me about the blogosphere. In my daily reading of various left- and right-wing blogs, I've repeatedly run across articles that will include references to things the opposition has published, but then links to a page that quotes rather than the original article. I'm not sure why they do this. Are they trying to up the hit counts of their partisan compatriots?

I don't like searching through a string of articles I've already read to get to the original article. If I quote someone, I will link directly to the article, rather than to someone else quoting the article.

Take a good look. It'll probably be your last.

2005-02-04T09:59:00.000-05:00

© 2000 Doreen L. Smith
"0605" by Jean Dudley

Lovely flower, isn't it? It's probably the only time you will ever see it. This is the only image I could find on the net of the endangered Baker's Delphinium (Delphinium bakeri ), native and endemic to California.

It seems that of the approximate 100 remaining plants in the wild, 95 were destroyed when a maintenance road crew took a weed-whacker to the one surviving colony recently.

Read the Reuter's article here.

Learn more about the plant here.

George Antoinette

2005-02-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

george_antoinnette-1,
originally uploaded by Jean Dudley.

Marie Antoinette once replied "Let them eat cake" when asked about the starving peasants in France. It sparked the French Revolution.

With thanks to my friend Kay Eaton for the image.

Architecture California

2005-02-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

Architecture California,
originally uploaded by astrovine.

Oh, my....what an incredible setting.

What an incredible photo.

What an incredible sky.

So, it seems that the military hostage in Iraq is a real doll.

2005-02-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, but I have to laugh at this. Otherwise I'd cry.

This is an image from an unidentified (no URL) website supposedly for the Iraqi Jihaddi Battalions. The soldier is identified as "John Adams". Note the rather odd scowl on the otherwise expressionless face. Kinda plastic, wouldn't you say?

It seems that a toymaker in the US (Dragon Models USA) recognized it. It's one of the "Spec Ops Cody" line.

Now take a look at these:

Oooh, see the gun on the right? And the vest, look at the vest carefully. Note the relatively wide welting on the pockets just under the shoulders straps. That's because you can't get welting any narrower or you can't sew it with a full-sized sewing machine. Doesn't that face look familiar?

Finally, note the kneepads. And the gun again. While this doll is "white", it does show the pose-ability of the figure. Oops. Sorry, I mean "action figure", not doll.

For the full AP story, go here: So-called U.S. hostage appears to be toy

Heads up!

2005-02-01T08:21:00.000-05:00

While on my way to work a few days ago, I discovered Air America Radio. It's being broadcast on AM 1200, Boston's Progressive Talk Radio.

You can listen to it live online here: Boston's New Progressive Talk Network

Be warned. It is as contentious and bellicose as Rush Limbaugh. But from the left side of the isle.

Flag burning, Free Speech, and Norman Rockwell

2005-01-31T22:38:00.000-05:00

Recently I saw a picture of a man waving a smoldering flag at the inauguration of G.W. Bush. He seemed to be yelling, if I recall, standing on something.

He looked angry. He seemed to be trying to get attention.

These are my impressions, and may not be what he was feeling, or what he was trying to do.

There's been a great deal of argument about flag burning. Should it be considered "free speech"? Free expression? Arson? creating a public disturbance?

The US Flag Code specifies that when a flag becomes so worn that it is no longer a fit symbol of America, it should be disposed of in a dignified manner, preferably by incineration.

The code makes no mention of mending or cleaning flags.

It's easy to construe that if a flag so much as touches the ground, it is no longer fit to use. I'm not sure of that.

One thing I have noticed; I cannot remember a single photo of a woman burning a flag as an act of protest. If there is one, I'd appreciate it if my readers would send me a link.

But I have seen this image. I think it's very powerful.

You will note that the title of the image is "Mending the Flag". It's by Norman Rockwell.

Some interesting things about this image:

The flag is technically upside down, with the Union (stars) draping down over the woman's knees.

It appears that the fringe is touching the floor.

This is in a private setting.

There is no yelling. There is no attention-grabbing. And it's an old woman mending it.

I've come to a decision. While the boys argue about flag-burning, I'm going to be mending the flag. It's as seditious as burning, but it's a much more positive image. And one that fits well with the notion that women are creators and maintainers, rather than destroyers and aggitators.

Pass me the needles and thread, deary.

Unitarians Considering Christ welcomes Spongbob Squarepants

2005-01-26T21:50:00.000-05:00

Seems the United Churches of Christ have welcomed the allegedly gay cartoon character.

What would Jesus do? Prolly invite Spongebob Squarepants to (the last) supper.

Meanwhile, the Christian Coalition wants its members to pray for the confirmation of Alberto "Torquemada" Gonzales.

How..."Christian" of them.

"For I was in prison, and you anally raped me with a lightstick" just doesn't have the same ring as the original, does it?

Easy for him to say...

2005-01-26T20:23:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Bush urges Iraqis to defy rebels:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4210945.stm

Today Bush urged Iraqis to defy the insurgents and go vote. This from the safety and comfort of the White House press room.

Never mind that the Iraqi people don't know who the candidates are. Or where they will vote. Or how they will be able to get there.

You see, of the 7000 local and national candidates, most are too afraid to admit they are running for fear of being killed. And travel--by car and by foot--has either been banned or strictly curtailed.

I foresee a massive bloodbath on Jan 30th.

Is this "democracy"?

I think not.

I am so utterly repulsed by this man...

2005-01-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Treaty doesn't bar cruelty, Gonzales says:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002160790_gonzales26.html

One question: would you want this to happen to your son or daughter?

One comment: members of al Queda deserve to know what sort of treatment they can expect if they are captured. How else will we prove them wrong about America being the monster they make us out to be.

One call to action: WRITE YOUR SENATORS AND DEMAND A NO ON THE CONFIRMATION OF ALBERTO GONZALES!

Hey, Dave!

2005-01-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

The Seattle Times: Local News: Orcas seen roaming in Hood Canal past two days:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002161007_whales26m.html

I thought of Dave Neiwert when I saw this article.

Why?

He's the author of the blog known as "Orcinus".